REVIEWS
For those concert bands which have enjoyed playing the folk song arrangements of V.W., Holst, Gordon Jacob and latterly Philip Sparke, Richard Lambert’s Folk Song Suite would be a welcome addition to the repertoire. The suite stands up well alongside those celebrated composers of the genre and is packed full of well-known and not so well-known folk melodies (not all British) which pass smoothly from one to the other and arrive in a breathless helter-skelter at the finale. The orchestration is handled well and is well balanced with all instruments getting equal attention. It is a busy piece with very little let-up in pace in the outer two movements. It is not a particularly easy piece, there are technical demands made on all the instrumental sections and I would say it would suit a county wind orchestra or advanced music service concert band. The suite would provide a fitting end to any concert.
Malcolm Crane